Drought In Southern Africa Threatens Social Unrest, Power Supply Challenges

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

Zambia

by

Barnaby Fletcher

,

Forbes

The carcass of a dead cow lies in the Black Umfolozi River, dry from the effects ot the latest severe drought, in Nongoma district north west from Durban, South Africa, on November 9, 2015. Photo: Mujahid Safodien, AFP/Getty Images)

Many countries in southern Africa are facing extended periods of drought, as the ongoing El Niño weather pattern continues to have a severe impact. The South African government has labeled the current drought as the worst since 1982. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean Ministry of Agriculture has compared it to the drought of 1992, which affected 86 million people across 10 countries and prompted a regional economic recession.